Portugal sightseeing. Travel guide - attractions, sights, nature and touristic places

The majority of landmarks are located in the capital of the country - Lisbon and its suburbs. For more than 700 years Saint George's Castle, which is located on a high hill, has been the main symbol of the city. Starting from the 13th century it was used as a royal palace, nowadays one of its towers hosts an archive with important documents of the country level. Approximately one third of the castle was destroyed during the earthquake in 1755, so only the main wall and a couple of towers have survived until our days. Mosteiro dos Jerónimos is not only a famous religious landmark, but also an important historical object. Many famous guests visited the monastery in the past, for example, Vasco da Gama, who prayed there before his famous travel to India. After the return of the famous explorer a church dedicated to Virgin Mary was built near the monastery. Mosteiro dos Jerónimos is also the place of the burial of the royal family, and one of the monastery's buildings has been turned into marine and archaeological museums.

When describing religious landmarks of the country, we cannot fail to mention the Christ the King statue. It was built in 1959 and is an exact copy of the statue located in Rio de Janeiro. The height of the statue is 28 meters; there is an observation deck near the statue, from which visitors will be able to enjoy it stunning panoramic views of Lisbon.

The Lisbon Oceanarium remains one of the most visited entertainment centers in the capital, where visitors can see more than 15 thousand marine creatures. There is a giant aquarium in the central part of the complex. The capacity of the aquarium is 4 million litres, and that makes it the second largest aquarium in the world, with the aquarium in Japan being the first one. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Interesting architectural landmarks and museums can also be found in Sintra, the main symbol of which is Palácio da Pena. The palace was built in 1939 on the ruins of a monastery and is well-known as the most romantic and elegant palace in Portugal. The palace was built in a way so it attached a remaining part of the monastery and a small chapel. The old part of the city is home to a very beautiful building - the Castelo dos Mouros (The Moors Castle), which was built 10 centuries ago. If one doesn't take into consideration massive protective walls, the building looks more like a castle from a fairy tale rather than an ancient fortress. The castle was empty for many years until it was restored in the 19th century. Nowadays, it's a very interesting open air museum.

History and Entertainment

The first written references to the County of Portugal date back to 868. Only in 1143, it gained a status of the independent kingdom. In the 15th century, the Kingdom of Portugal saw the times of the colonial expansion. The empire flourished in the first half of the 16th century. Later, the country was under Spain and Great Britain and then underwent a series of wars and revolutions. After the revolution in 1910, Portugal gained a status of the republic.

Despite the fact that Portugal is annually visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world, even big Portuguese cities feature a calm and peaceful atmosphere. In the midst of the tourist season, you can walk along in the streets of big cities, enjoy a calm rhythm of life and feel like not a foreign guest but one of the natives.

For many years, Portugal has become more popular with fans of beach holidays. The most popular beaches here are on the Lisbon Riviera. Algarve is a perfect place for romantic vacation. Here, you can not only relax on beautiful beaches with white sand, but also admire unique historical architecture. In Portugal, there are also excellent conditions for diving. Experienced divers usually visit Madeira.

Shopping enthusiasts like vacationing in big cities. In local malls, you can buy not only new stylish clothes, but also wonderful gold accessories. Popular souvenirs here are ceramic items. A lot of people prefer buying beautiful sets of port wines of the local production as souvenirs. The major sales in local malls take place in the middle of January and in late summer.

During the year, a lot of interesting holidays are celebrated in Portugal. In early September, the traditional Wine Festival is held. At the festival, wineries from all regions of the country present their best wines. The main events of the festival are wine and popular national dish wines. In any season, the guests of Portugal have an opportunity to take part in interesting wine tours, visit historical wineries and admire amazing vineyards.